“I’ve never mentioned this, but my main sources of income are: endorsing tattoo products I actually like using, and live-streaming mine and my twin’s tattoo sessions then posting the VODs online. And though I appreciate how blessed I am, I also know that for most people, posting sponsored content on social media and streaming once in a blue moon don’t qualify as ‘real jobs’… They think stuff like that is just internet bullshit. Yet, those two things pay for a lot of my real-world bills,” she stated with a shrug. “In the words of Oscar Wilde: ‘To define is to limit.’ Stop thinking about ‘adulting correctly’ ’cause there’s no such thing and once you realize that, you’ll see the possibilities are endless and your potential is limitless.”
“Wow.” I blinked, stunned and motivated. She wasn’t aware of how deeply her whole speech on ‘internet bullshit’ resonated with my soul. “That was actually really inspiring, Gray.”
Rolling her eyes, she gave me the middle finger even if I was being serious. “Alright, alright, thanks for coming to my TED talk. Now, it’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is…” She grinned wide. “I’ll hire you for a Scope project, so you can add stuff to your reel. We have this new collection coming out called ‘Moonbow’ and-”
“What the hell is a moonbow?”
“It’s a lunar rainbow,” she answered. Recalling Pink Ranger’s advice, I quickly Googled the term on my phone. “It’s exactly like a rainbow, but the light refracted is from the moon instead of the sun, so its colors are way more muted. It’s rare, but it’s real.”
I skimmed through the brief descriptions on the screen. It turned out, unlike the ‘gay parrot sex-thing,’ she wasn’t just making this up… Moonbows actually existed. “Huh, color me surprised.”
To rag on my lame pun, she mimicked the joke-drum sound. “Oh, ye of little faith… As I was saying, you can make Scope some marketing videos or whatever. We can’t pay you a lot, but we’ll pay you. And you’ll have creative freedom ’cause I trust you.”
“You don’t need to do that. Yeah, I was being a crybaby today, but you don’t have to go out of your way to help me. I’m fine.”
“Have you seen me? I let my twin turn my body into her sketchpad and it’s not like her instrument of choice washes off. I like helping out the people I love. So, if I can help you with something, but I force myself not to, then that would be me going out of my way.”
“Gray-”
“Nope.”
“Alright, thank you,” I conceded. She could be really stubborn when she wanted to be, so I knew there was no point fighting her on this. “I really, really appreciate it… You’re the best.”
“Oh and one last thing, you’re coming with me to Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ house tomorrow,” she declared and I refused. “Cass, I sat through breakfast with your ex-boyfriend who talked over me the entire time… I think it’s just fair you join my family for dinner tomorrow. You owe me.”
“But I can’t, you-”
“Speaking of, it’s almost dinner.” She pouted. “And I haven’t eaten since our meal with ‘Mister Too Much Aftershave.'” The nickname made me laugh, the fact that she’d still smelled his cologne from last night was a testament to its accuracy. “I’m starving, so stop arguing with me.”
She was exaggerating. It was mid-afternoon, it was not ‘almost dinner.’ But our emotional heart-to-heart did cause us to miss lunch and skipping meals definitely wasn’t her thing.
“Pizza?” I suggested and she nodded, excited. It wasn’t a lucky guess. She was always in the mood for pizza. “Okay, my treat since I just landed a project for this super cool streetwear company…”
“Yay, I love you! Extra cheese, please. Oh, and black olives and green peppers.”
“Love you more.”
My fingers navigated through the food delivery app on my phone. She didn’t need to mention the extra toppings… I already knew so many things about her by heart. For quite some time now, her pizza preferences had been part of the now-innumerable entries in my mind’s ever-growing ‘Gray file.’
. . .
Gray and I were in her blue-colored Jeep. We were on our way back to Apartment 202 from her parents’ place. My trepidation about being a nuisance during their family’s holiday affair had turned out to be unwarranted. Minutes after I’d stepped inside the home my roommate grew up in, I learned there was no cause for concern. Similar to her, the people who’d raised her were nothing but welcoming and kind. Which didn’t surprise me… What did surprise me, however, was how well-off the middle-aged couple was.
Apparently, Gray and her sister were incredibly modest because I had no idea they came from money. Their family wasn’t filthy rich. Like I doubted they had offshore bank accounts for tax evasion purposes. But the twins had grown up in a large house in a gated community in the nearby suburbs.
As always, Gray’s twin was reserved during her interactions with me (unlike her parents and charming fiance)… Exactly how she was when we first met and every time we’d run into each other thereafter. She didn’t give me the cold shoulder, but she wasn’t affable either.
Pitiful as it was, I’d once drunkenly asked Gray outright if her sister didn’t like me. My roommate had initially responded to the self-conscious question with a joke. But when she’d realized it was genuinely bothering me, she assured me I was wrong. According to her, it just took her twin a while to warm up to ‘new people.’
Anyway, before I met her parents, Gray had warned me that they were potheads whenever they were on ‘vacation mode.’ I’d assumed she was kidding, but nope, it turned out to be completely true. And although I hadn’t partaken in any of the 420-fun earlier, it sure seemed like I did based on how much I was laughing… My roommate was really good at cracking me up, but her mom and dad had me in stitches for hours. The whole dinner was like an interactive comedy show. Both her parents had earned doctorates in their respective chosen fields, so they were really intelligent. And after almost thirty years of marriage, their incredibly quick-witted, no-holds-barred humor was glorious.
“That wasn’t that bad, right?” Gray asked from the driver’s seat while we were at a stoplight. “Yeah, we both smell like we came from the set of ‘Pineapple Express’ even if neither of us smoked anything… But a quick shower will fix that.”
I chuckled at the fitting reference. “It wasn’t bad at all. God, I had so much fun,” I admitted, smiling wide. “I don’t remember the last time I laughed that much… Thanks again for bringing me.”
“No worries, it was a pleasure having you there, Cass.”
The red light turned green. She gave my thigh a quick squeeze and I found myself wishing that the too-brief touch lasted much longer. I stared at her hands on the steering wheel. I wondered if her palms would be cool or warm to the touch… If I could’ve come up with even one valid reason to do so, I would’ve reached for her hand just to satisfy my curiousness.
But I couldn’t-so I didn’t.
. . .
“You promised this wasn’t gonna distract me…” Gray grumbled as I spread out the green-colored goop on the left part of her face. I inched a bit closer to her on the couch in our living room. “Well, I’m distracted.”
“How? I’m not even blocking your view of the TV,” I argued, fighting off a grin. “If you’re not focused on your little game, that’s all on you…” I took out some more of the facial mask product to cover her jawline. “Mm, I don’t have to do the other side if you don’t want me to.”
She scoffed indignantly. “You’re just gonna leave me like this, huh? In some kind of half-baked ‘The Mask’ cosplay?”
“‘Somebody, stop me,'” I did my best impression and she groaned. I used my gooey finger to push up the corner of her mouth. I was literally forcing her to smile. “Why are you so grumpy tonight?”
“I’m not grumpy.”
“How about this-after I finish the other half, I’ll make you a grilled cheese.”
Hearing my offer, she perked up. With her eyes firmly on the flatscreen, she grinned and nodded. “Ooh, yes, please.”
Chuckling, I resumed spreading out the green cream with my fingertips. Her skin was silky soft. “I got you, Gray.”
. . .
It was Christmas morning and in Apartment 202’s living room, I was basically wrestling with Gray. We were fighting over a gift-wrapped box, which was actually my present for her, but I was trying to get it back. I unwrapped what she’d given me first, and the gift was so cute and thoughtful… I instantly knew I’d fucked up big time.
Suddenly, she let go and I fell on my ass, onto the couch behind me. She straddled my lap. Her fingers ravaged my neck. The whole thing was a merciless form of torture that paradoxically generated giggles. She was literally tickling me pink. Her frisky touch rouged my pallid skin. “Give up, Cass.”
“Okay, okay, you win! Stop, please,” I shrieked out, laughing loudly as my body shook underneath her. If I could’ve, I would’ve kept fighting, but I had to wave the white flag. “You don’t play fair… Fuck, I’m so tired.”
“Why play fair when I can play smart?” She sat beside me then ripped the festive red-and-green wrapper clean off. “Is this a..?”
She got me an ‘adult coloring book’ of my favorite children’s story, ‘Peter Pan’ as well as a set of colored pencils… While I got her a sex toy. In my defense though, when I’d asked her for a clue, she told me her gift would help with ‘stress relief.’ Which sounded suggestive! Also, I’d presumed the toy would be practical since she’d been single for a while.